Thinking Outside The Box — The Circular Studio

Dolby Atmos has taken the audio world by storm, and more and more studios are focusing on recording to its immersive three-dimensional sound experience. Every studio has its own take on how to set up for mixing for Dolby Atmos, but not many have taken the route of Sound360, a South Korean studio producing a variety of music genres, and naming K-Pop sensation BlackPink amongst its clients.

After extensive experience using a 7.1.4 surround sound mixing studio, the owner of Sound360, Junghoon Choi, decided to design his 9.1.6 studio in a circular shape for better speaker positioning. Numerous simulations and a lot of fine-tuning went into perfecting the sound, and Sound360 are now the first certified Dolby Atmos Music studio in Asia, and the only studio in South Korea capable of mixing and mastering in Dolby Atmos 9.1.6.

At the heart of the system is Focusrite RedNet and the Red Range of audio interfaces.

“Ever since the early ’90s when I first started working in music studios, I’ve always used Focusrite products,” says Mr Choi. “I had my eye on Red and RedNet since they first launched and was able to experience them working at a seminar held by Soundcat in my studio.”

“I’ve used countless mic preamps in my career but the preamps on these [RedNet MP8R and Red 8Pre] devices are different, and I don’t feel the need to use any external preamps,” he added.

Sound360 also has an individual take on mixing and rendering Dolby Atmos, using a single computer with Red interfaces and a RedNet network setup, rather than using two separate computers which is a more conventional setup for Dolby systems. “This simplified all the technicalities of the Dolby mixing environment”, says Mr Choi.

“When it comes to setting up a Dolby Atmos mixing system, monitor control is a crucial part, and that’s where the Red 16Line is used to simplify the setup. A simple setup means I can be more flexible when it comes to mixing in Atmos format, while having full confidence in my mixes with the conversion that the Red 16Line provides.”

Aside from the control room, there is also an 9.1.6 channel monitoring system in the recording booth, providing a better experience of Dolby Atmos. The main hall within the studio is built with recording, video, and studio concerts in mind.

Sound360’s impressive list of artists and credentials proves that with the right equipment and a little thinking outside the box, it’s possible to produce outstanding results.